


But We Were Going For Dinner

by Brackster



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, FitzSimmons - Freeform, Kree Monolith, Monolith AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, canon divergence for S3, kree rock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6336718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brackster/pseuds/Brackster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Small decisions could have such big consequences, and merely a handful of words could set events off on such a different track. So when Fitz offers to finish up the work on the monolith for Simmons it is him who gets sucked through the portal to Maveth whilst Simmons is faced with the overwhelming task of how to bring him home.</p><p>Extended ruminations on how 3a would have differed if it had been Fitz rather than Simmons who had been sucked through that stupid kree rock of dateblocking at the end of season 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fitz

“Dinner”

“Fast approaching, yes and we'll eat it I'm sure.”

Fitz took a deep breath as he watched Simmons working on taking readings from the monolith – the longer this conversation went on the more awkward it got.

“Yeah, no, no, no. But, uh, me and you... maybe we could eat somewhere else You know, somewhere... nice.” he stumbled, trying to lean nonchalantly on the monolith case. Simmons looked up from her work as things finally clicked into place. 

“Oh.” she said with a slight nod. Fitz mind raced, that was a good 'oh' right? At the very least it wasn't a no so that was something. The short silence between them seemed to stretch on for hours as each waited for the other to say something. Fitz shifted his weight slightly, causing his hand to slip on the monolith case. He quickly caught himself, red faced. Simmons' face was unreadable as she looked at him – but a good kind of unreadable, he hoped.

“Okay, well,” he tapped the lock on the monolith door – he added checking that the mechanism was up to scratch to his mental to do list. Simmons was still looking at him, the ghost of a smile on her face. “Tell you what, Jemma, why don't you let me finish up here while I work on some ideas to run by you – go make a start on polishing your nails or whatever it is that takes you girls so long.”  
she rolled her eyes at him.

“Oh Fitz...” she began, Fitz's heart sank as he braced himself for the inevitable rejection. He was caught off guard when her eyes softened and a smile broke out across her face – a warm, genuine Jemma Simmons smile – a pang of guilt and sadness struck him and he realised just how long it had been since he'd last seen that smile. “The scans are all in progress, you just need to wait for them to finish,” she paused again “Thank you.” she squeezed his arm as she passed him on the way to the door. Fitz waited until she'd slipped through the door and softly closed it behind her before he let out a long breath, blowing his cheeks out. He felt like a weight has been lifted from his chest and let out a little happy dance as he stepped round to check the status bar on the laptop Simmons had been using to collect data on the monolith. 78% but ticking along nicely. Good. Fitz pulled out his phone and began scrolling back through his notes in search of the name of the restaurant Hunter had taken Bobbi to a couple of months ago – Bobbi had seemed impressed, Hunter had been smug about the deal he'd got and things had been going pretty well for them. He jotted the name down on a scrap of paper so he wouldn't have to be checking his phone when he spoke to Simmons about it. It was an Italian, Simmons liked Italian food, but given total choice he knew she'd have chosen a cosy little gastropub with a log fire that served proper British pub grub, but without commandeering both a quinjet and a pilot that one was sadly out of the question. Fitz smiled at the memories of the many evenings they'd spent at her local back in Sheffield during their holidays from the academy – all the nights she'd spent trying to convert him to the real ale from the local brewery whilst he flatly refused and clung to his cider. He desperately hoped this evening would be as happy and carefree as all those had been. 

He moved round to check all the equipment Simmons had set up whilst he waited, his eye suddenly drawn to the ajar door of the monolith case. He cursed under his breath – he'd have to make checking the locking mechanism a priority – none of them knew the risk the monolith posed, it was just a good job he was still here to close it up again. He reached up to secure the glass door when it _changed_. The towering rock sloshed to the ground as if invisible strings holding it up had been cut and before Fitz could fully process what was going on he hit the floor, the wind knocked out of him as the inky surge which had pushed him off his feet washed over him. His hands scrabbled for purchase on the smooth concrete floor but found none. He heard himself screaming as the blackness closed over his head and cut off the sound.

Jemma

_Jemma_

But they were going for dinner...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first foray into writing fanfiction since 2008 and I'm painfully aware I'm a bit rusty so constructive criticism is more than welcome. Also feel free to come and talk to me on tumblr (Ladycrankyportcullis) BUT I'm watching at UK pace and have a massive fear of spoilers so all talk of 3b is banned just to be on the safe side.
> 
> Also I'm terrible at titles I apologise.


	2. Simmons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up twice as long as the previous, probably because I'm literally making this up as I go along! Also it's totally unbeta-ed (if anyone wants to be my friend and we can mutually beta each other gimmie a shout on tumblr @ladycrankyportcullis) and I'm still getting back into the swing of writing (and I know I have a tendancy to overuse commas, I'm working on it). Thank you for reading <3

Simmons knew Fitz was trying to tell her something and the fact that she couldn't work out what both frustrated and saddened her, a sharp reminder of the distance that had grown in their relationship since they'd been pulled out of the ocean by Fury. There was an awkwardness between them now that they'd never experienced before, one amplified by her recent attempt to tell him how she felt before it was too late. He hadn't been interested in what she'd had to say – of course he wouldn't, he'd probably have moved on long ago – especially after what she'd put him through. Regardless, they'd never had the opportunity to talk since. Following the events onboard the aircraft carrier they'd both been busy with the clean-up and with the mysterious monolith which seemed to hold some sort of significance which none of them knew. She knew she shouldn't snap at him, but she couldn't help herself, inwardly cringing at her words as she heard them leave her mouth. Trying to clear her mind, she focused intently on her laptop, almost wishing the data in front of her would swallow her up so she could escape the awkwardness of the situation.

“Yeah, no, no, no. But, uh, me and you... maybe we could eat somewhere else You know, somewhere... nice.”

 _Oh_. Simmons looked up in surprise, her mind racing – was Fitz asking her on a date? She looked him up and down, trying desperately to read his body language as he leant casually against the monolith casing. He was waiting for an answer, she knew that, but her brain was still trying to comprehend the fact that here was Leo Fitz asking _her_ , Jemma Simmons, out on an actual date. Quite the u-turn to process so soon after her reluctant acceptance that she'd missed her chance. She could feel her heart swelling up in her chest – metaphorically speaking, obviously – and no longer felt she could fully trust her voice. He was watching her still, all eagerness and nerves barely hidden underneath his calm exterior.

“Oh.” she managed. But it sounded like a good 'oh', right? She suppressed a giggle as his hand slipped on the monolith case and he stumbled. Once upon a time she'd have laughed and he'd have laughed and she'd have teased him about being so clumsy. But now? Things had changed since his injury and she would hate for him to think she was laughing at him, especially not now things were finally getting back on track. Thankfully he'd taken her response as a positive, offering to take over her work so she could start getting ready whilst he sorted out somewhere for them to go, a thrill running through her as they fell back into something which felt very much like their old banter. She beamed at him as she breezed through what was left for him to do with the monolith, trying to put into her body language what she hadn't been able to put into words, giving his arm a squeeze as she passed him on her way out of the room, taking delight in the small gesture; it reminded her of home, of the days when they were FitzSimmons and life was easier. 

She managed to keep herself together until she'd shut the door behind her before spinning on the spot in glee and almost skipping off down the corridor, buzzing with a mixture of excitement and nerves. As she neared the sleeping quarters, she rounded a corner and almost walked straight into another agent coming from the other direction, her head buried in a file of some sort. 

“Skye!” Simmons exclaimed, the sight shaking her out of her daze as she remembered where her friend had been for the day. 

“Mm? Oh hey Simmons,” she said, looking up in surprise, her sad and thoughtful expression changing to one of curiosity as she took in Simmons' excited demeanour. “What have I missed? You're practically bouncing up and down tell me tell me tell me!” she flipped the file shut and hugged it to her chest, peering at her expectantly. Simmons smiled at the floor, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

“Okay but first how are you Skye? How did things go with Cal?” she pressed. Skye pouted and began to open her mouth to protest, but a look from Simmons shut her down before she'd even begun. 

“I'm okay,” Simmons raised an eyebrow in response “No really I am. Like, what happened totally sucks but at the same time all these unanswered questions I had about my past have been resolved and Cal has got a fresh start and Coulson has given me this super cool new project to work on. I can't say I'm happy about everything that happened but you guys are my real family and the main thing is that you guys all made it out alive so...” she trailed off, hugging the file tighter. “Oh and I've totally got a grip on my super cool new earthquake powers so I fully expect to be invited to join the Avengers within the year,” she added with a grin “Now. Tell. Me.” she punctuated each word by prodding Simmons' arm. 

“Okay, okay!” Simmons swatted Skye's hand away “It's nothing really, it's just that, well, Fitz has asked me out to dinner.” she found herself blushing, unable to maintain eye contact as a wide grin spread itself across Skye's face. 

“What! No way! You mean like a date?” 

“Well, um, yes I think so.” Simmon stumbled, sudden self doubt beginning to creep in – what if Fitz was merely hoping they could go for dinner away from the rest of the team so they'd be forced to talk through everything and to tell her 'maybe there wasn't'? No. Dinner somewhere nice had to mean a date and she was going to cling to that hope. 

“Awh FitzSimmons are back! Guys I'm so happy for you! What are you gonna wear? Can I do your hair?” Skye's eye's widened with excitement as she grabbed Simmons' hand and started to drag her down the corridor “Right you're gonna go get a shower whilst I raid your wardrobe, and maybe mine, and blimey Fitz isn't gonna know what's hit him. Oh my god just wait until Bobbi hears about this!” Simmons stumbled after Skye, happily resigned to whatever her friend had in mind. Yes she'd probably object to whatever it was, but her objections would inevitably be overruled and besides, it would be nice to spend time together again in happier circumstances. Skye was still jabbering away as they reached Simmons' bunk, letting herself in and throwing a pair of towels and her wash bag into Simmons' arms before marching her to the shower room. 

“You good with that?” she asked, turning to face her. Simmons hesitated, shifting her weight from foot to foot – she didn't have a clue what Skye had been saying, her mind racing with questions of her own – what kind of place was Fitz taking her too? What if they ran out of things to talk about? Skye knew. Of course she knew. 

“Erm...” was the best Simmons had to offer. Skye rolled her eyes at her. 

“I'm going to take that as complete and utter consent for everything I suggested,” Simmons opened her mouth to protest “Nuh-uh! Serves you right for not listening to me and besides, don't you trust me? Now you're going to go shower and then you're going to put on the lovely outfit I'm going to leave in your room and if I'm not back from filling Bobbi in on all the juicy gossip she's missing you're going to text me as soon as your dressed but under no circumstances are you allowed to leave your room or let Fitz see you. Can't have him seeing the outfit before the big date now can we?” she winked. 

“Skye I'm pretty sure that's a superstition associated only with weddings...” Simmons began. 

“That's not the point! Pretty please?” Skye gave her best puppy dog eyes – she knew she'd got a long way to go until she gained the mastery that Fitz had, but it was a start – and it worked. 

“Fine, just nothing too outlandish okay?” she caved, pressing her lips together to hide her grin – she didn't want Skye thinking she'd won too easily. 

“Trust me, Jemma – when have I ever lead you astray?” the wicked grin Skye responded with hardly filled her with confidence but she chose not to respond, instead letting herself be pushed through the door to the showers, grinning to herself as she heard Skye dash off down the corridor. 

It had been a long time since Simmons had felt carefree enough to sing in the shower, but for the first time since Hydra had brought her world crashing down around her ears she felt that maybe everything was going to be okay. She was still humming to herself as she dashed down the corridor to her bunk, still wrapped in her towel and beyond thankful that she didn't bump into anyone. The door clicked shut behind her and her jaw dropped as she saw the outfit Skye had left hanging up for her to wear. Well that certainly wasn't one of hers, and she felt pretty sure she was going to have some objections about Skye's idea of what was appropriate to wear for a meal out with her best friend – but she'd agreed she'd humour her so that's what she'd do. She checked her phone, surprised she hadn't heard anything from Fitz yet about the mysterious restaurant – presumably Skye had got to him too, before putting on the dress. The black fabric clung to her figure in a way that she usually tried to avoid as much as possible, sheer mesh revealing flesh that hadn't seen the light of day since Coulson had let them have a day off to go to the beach following a routine mission in the Bahamas. A lifetime ago. She carried on singing as she tried on the shoes Skye had left – bright red heels she was sure she'd struggle to walk in – and was reaching for her phone when the door burst open. 

“Skye!” she exclaimed “I was just about to text you, I'm really not sure about this dress, I mean...” she stopped short, reading the expression on Skye's face not as the shock at her actually wearing this excuse for a dress but as something far less positive. “Skye what's happened?” she asked, the laughter dying in her voice. 

“Jemma,” Skye's voice was shaky and her bottom lip quivered as pulled her into a hug “Jemma I'm so sorry.” 


	3. Fitz

With his last breath he'd saved her life. The device he'd built worked – of course it did, he'd built it – blowing out the window. The inrush of water and the sudden change in pressure knocked the scant air out of his lungs just as they pressed the trigger to force the oxygen into hers. Together, always together. Darkness descended over his vision and salt water filled his mouth. Something was pulling at the back of his shirt collar, dragging his dead weight through the ocean. The pressure of his tie and top button against his throat would have been cutting off his air supply, if he had one. The darkness that had clouded his vision overwhelmed his brain as he slipped out of consciousness.

A sharp wind struck his face, fresh air rushing into his lungs. Fitz rolled onto his side, his gasps turning into coughs as he inhaled a mouthful of sand. _That wasn't right, they were in the middle of the ocean they couldn't have washed up on a beach._ He rolled back onto his back, eyes still closed and his head spinning. He knew he was missing something but he couldn't think what. _Simmons._ Fitz threw his arm out, groping blindly to try and find her. _She had to be here, beside him the whole damned time, how could he be here without her?_ His hands found only sand. Panic threatened to overwhelm him and he felt like he was drowning for the second time that day. Shouting her name tore at his raw throat as he sat upright and forced his eyes open. This wasn't a beach. There was no sea. Simmons wasn't here. Memories came flooding back – of hope, of dinner, of the monolith... Fitz turned his head to survey his new surroundings, just in time to catch a glimpse of a patch of distorted sand near his right leg which vanished before he could comprehend what he was seeing. _A portal?_

“Jemma would know.” he muttered to himself, laying back down and closing his eyes. He felt like he had the mother of all hangovers and the vivid flashbacks to the med pod had only made things worse. He had to focus. He had to be rational. He had to find a way home – he'd asked Jemma on a date and nothing, not even a stupid, impossible liquid-rock-portal thing was going to make him miss that.

“I'll be there Jemma,” he promised the air. “I'll be there.” The throbbing in his skull was beginning to subside so he slowly risked opening his eyes again. The sky above was full of stars, so beautiful, if Simmons was with him she'd be able to name every single one and no doubt also give him a good few fun facts to go with it.

“Or would you?” he murmured. Simmons' passion for stargazing had lead to more than one night where she'd dragged him out into the night away from the bright lights of human habitation to lie and look up into the heavens – with her he'd seen night skies all across the world. None of them looked like this. Slowly he sat up to get a view of more than just the patch of twinkling darkness above his head. None of these constellations looked familiar but that all paled in comparison with the most obvious of changes “Simmons, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...” he muttered as his eyes landed upon the two moons that dominated the horizon.

He waited for five hours on the site of the portal in the vain hope it might reopen, busying his mind with science, taking measurements and photos and recording everything he could about this strange planet he had found himself on.

“Our first alien planet and I came without you,” he said over one video as he panned around the barren landscape “I hope you won't be too mad at me Jemma – you'd better not go to Asgard without me in revenge.” It seemed that humour was going to be his coping mechanism, for now at least.

With nothing left to record, Fitz settled down on the ground, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible on the hard surface. He would sleep, then he would explore. He had every faith in his team, in Simmons. He knew she'd find him, there was no doubt about that – there was nobody else he'd rather be relying on than one of the most brilliant minds in the universe – but even Simmons needed time. None of them even understood the monolith, nevermind being able to control it, heck they probably didn't even realise it was a portal. She would find him, she'd bring him home, but it would take time and if Fitz was going to keep his promise he knew that the sooner he found a source of water, and preferably food and shelter too, the better. Hopefully by the time he woke, the sun would have risen and he could get a better look at this seemingly hostile environment – night couldn't last forever. He turned off his phone to conserve the battery, bunched his cardigan up underneath his head and curled up facing the patch of sand he'd fallen through to get here.

“'Night Jemma,” he said to the sand “Don't do anything stupid whilst I'm gone, I know what you're like for jumping out of planes and going undercover in scary terrorist organisations.” He closed his eyes. Despite the circumstance, sleep came quickly as the toll of the day's events washed over his aching body and he sunk into a blissful temporary oblivion.

 


	4. Jemma

Simmons stood in front of the monolith case, staring at it intently, as if she could pierce the currently solid exterior and see what it had done to her best friend – no, he was more than that – with her eyes alone. She still wore the dress Skye had left out for her, one red shoe dangling from the fingers of her right hand. She didn't know what had happened to the other shoe. She didn't particularly care. Her wet hair had begun to soak through the fabric of the dress, making it cold and clammy against her shoulders and the concrete floor was freezing on the soles of her bare feet. Being barefoot in the base broke around seven health and safety regulations alone. None of that mattered. Fitz mattered. Fitz was all that had ever mattered and she needed to find out what the rock had done with him and how to get him back so she could tell him that.

“You shouldn't be in here, Tremors,” a voice spoke softly out of her field of vision. It wasn't addressing her and it wasn't helping. “You said this was a weapon against Inhumans...”

“I can't leave her. I have to help get him back, it's what either of them would do for me...” the second voice trailed off, the room gave a small shiver “Mack... Mack what if Fitz was... what if he is inhuman?” her voice became muffled as her hands covered her mouth.

“He's not,” Simmons' voice was emotionless and matter-of-fact, her eyes not leaving the monolith “I checked his blood for markers before he left for the Illiad.” She could feel their eyes on her, could sense their surprise that she had been listening to their conversation. She hadn't been listening but she couldn't stop herself from hearing.

“Jemma, you've got a plan right? We're gonna get him back. Do you know how?” Skye's voice moved closer. Mack's footsteps followed with a mutter of annoyance. Simmons finally tore her eyes from the monolith and turned to face her friends. A pang of guilt hit her as she took in the pair, both faces etched with concern and worry, Skye's eyes rimmed with red. She wasn't the only one who cared about Fitz. She hadn't even shed a tear. She knew she would, that eventually the numbness would fade and then the tears would come. She'd been here before, but she'd been helpless then, unable to do anything but wait and try. This time she wasn't. This time she was going to work and work and not stop until they were eating together, some place nice.

“We're going for dinner.” she said simply. Skye nodded, needing no further explanation.

“I'm going to go get my laptop.” she stated, her face determined.

“Oh hell no...” Mack began, one swift look from Skye cutting him off. “Fine if you're gonna insist on being in the same room as that thing I can at least make sure it doesn't get out again.”

Simmons didn't wait to see them leave the room to go about their stated tasks, nor did she respond to either of them but crossed the room to where her laptop still sat – exactly where she'd left it as she'd merrily skipped off in a euphoric daze. She hadn't been able to face the footage yet, but she could do the maths – she could hardly have been talking to Skye for long when the monolith took him. She couldn't dwell on that. She mustn't dwell on that.

She dropped her remaining shoe to the floor with a clatter, freeing up her hands to lean over the laptop. The scans had finished but the sensors had kept on monitoring, the moment it took him represented merely by a spike on a graph, so disproportionate to the wrecking ball it had smashed into her life. She put her palms flat against the desk to brace herself, letting out a long breath. Her thumb brushed against a scrap of paper she hadn't noticed before – something she hadn't left there. Her hands shook slightly as she picked it up, running her fingers along the ragged edged as she took in the scrawled handwriting. _Fitz._ She recognised it as the name of an Italian restaurant she'd heard Bobbi mention – she'd been very impressed when Hunter had taken her there – Fitz must have heard about that too. _Bobbi._ The name ran a shock through Simmons' body – Fitz wasn't the only one whose future was in her hands and it was all she could do to stop it overwhelming her. She ran her fingertips over the letters on the paper, feeling the gnaw of panic beginning to claw its way into the pit of her stomach and a lump rise in her throat.

_No, not now, I've not got time for this now_ she told herself, struggling to push her emotions away. She was on the verge of losing the battle when Skye reappeared, clutching her laptop.

“Jemma, I've got all the available footage from the security cameras, I started running a couple of searches and I've tried to reach out to some of the inhumans I met at Afterlife, although unsurprisingly they're not the easiest people to get a hold of – especially so soon after everything that happened,” she hovered in the middle of the room, eyeing the monolith warily and giving the front of the case a wide berth as she circled round to stand by Simmons “I understand if you don't want to see it so if you just tell me what to look out for. I mean, I have some idea but also this is just...” she let out a breath, unable to find an ending for her sentence. Simmons clutched the scrap of paper to her chest. This was science. She could do science. She'd have to face that footage some time and getting it out of the way now would be no less painful than putting it off to face later.

“Show me.” she said quietly. Skye gave a small nod, sitting down against the wall with her laptop resting on her outstretched legs. Simmons sat next to her, scrap of paper still gripped in her hand.

“You sure? It's not... it's not easy to see.” Skye's voice caught in her throat as she spoke. Simmons nodded, taking a breath to steady herself and focusing on hardening her heart. Science. This was science. Skye clicked to open the file and the video began to play, splitting the screen into three – two video feeds from different angles inside the monolith room and a smaller one on the door outside.

She watched herself exit the room, leaving Fitz alone with the monolith. He was beaming, his body language more relaxed and happy than it had been since their days on the Bus. He checked on her laptop before pulling out his phone, finding something on it and then scribbling the note Simmons had held to her heart. Dread clawed its way up her chest as he moved to the door of the casing, reaching out to push it fully closed. Then it happened. She wanted to look away, close her eyes, slam the laptop shut, but she didn't. She couldn't. Science. This was science. The monolith liquefied, pouring out of case and enveloping him. He clawed for a handhold on the smooth concrete floor but it was all in vain. The rock snapped upright, back to its solid form, and he was gone. There was no sound on the video, but Simmons didn't need it to tell that as he was screaming her name.

Her body shook so violently that at first she thought it was Skye's powers, but nothing else moved. Her vision blurred, _not now, there's no time, I need to get him back._ The first of her strangled sobs made Skye jump, bringing her back into the room from where she had been staring at the now-blank screen, silent tears on her cheeks. Simmons forgot all about her attempts to regain her composure when she felt Skye's arms wrap around her, holding her together as the sobs wracked her small frame.

Neither of them noticed when Mack reentered the room; he chose not to disturb them but worked swiftly and silently to secure the monolith case. His task complete, he hesitated, deliberating whether to go and wrap his arms around the pair of crying girls. In the end he decided to give them space to let out their loss, shutting the door silently behind him, his own grief gnawing a hole in his heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hit a bit of a block with this one - typical problem of the scene being so clear in my head of what it would look like if this were the TV show and then struggling to craft it out of words and so far the next chapter is proving even harder, yay for writing!


End file.
